Colin Burnett is the author of ‘Who’s Aldo? and 'A Working Class State of Mind’. In 'Who’s Aldo?' charismatic career criminal and Edinburgh antihero Aldo returns in a riotous, gritty, action-packed sequel. Aldo is determined to become a better person. His best pals, Dougie and Craig, and the four-legged love of his life, Bruce the Staffy, do their best to keep him on the path to redemption, but his lawless nature and chaotic home life propel him into a series of comical, exhilarating, occasionally brutal adventures. On the way, he encounters a host of memorable characters and finds a new love. Trying to balance this romance, the expectations of his family and life on the streets turns out to be a bigger challenge than Aldo anticipated. Can he turn over a new leaf and still keep his title as the toon’s number one gangster? ‘Who’s Aldo?' is captivating, tender, and laugh-out-loud funny. Imagine if Kelman, Welsh and Boyle collaborated to produce the ultimate Scottish working-class character – that’s Aldo!
Recently, he was nominated for Media Person of the Year (2020) and Scots Writer of the Year (2021) at the Scots Language Awards.
Media Reviews
Media Reviews for ‘Who’s Aldo?'
The List: Leith hardman Aldo is back, scamming and chancing his way through life. But amid the drug dealing and gangsters, Colin Burnett’s second book gives the vulnerable a much-needed voice...Burnett delivers quality male soap opera with a heavy Leith twang.
''The Sopranos set in Edinburgh'' The List
ABC Tales: ‘sharp, pacey and funny’, ‘I recommend this slice of Leith Life very highly indeed’.
'Colin Burnett's novel written entirely in East-coast Scots, A Working Class State of Mind, is lucid, fast, funny, hard, twisty, comical, brutal, benign, happily cheeky, and so linguistically erratic that the nature of being erratic quickly becomes an incontrovertible virtue - the reader is just wheeched alang ithoot devaul or even mercy - when's the sequel?' -
Professor Alan Riach, Scottish Literature, University of Glasgow
''Fabulous book. Colin is a great writer, and the characters are so believable. I couldn't put it down''
Janey Godley, Stand-up comedian, Actress, and writer
'Earthy and colourful with engaging, recognisable characters. Packed with great wee stories. All in all, a very enjoyable read “
Jane McCarry, Actress. (Isa from Still Game)
"Telt in his ain Embra Scots, Colin's chairacters' lifes spairkle wi the language o thaim thit belang tae the toon."
-- Michael Dempster, Scots Scriever
"The reader is already familiar with Aldo. Adlo is the ballast that makes most stories work; he appears as a wee skinny Asian kid with a kick-ass attitude. He's a familiar figure in any working-class community. The hardman that takes nae shite. But he's also funny, but not deliberately so. And he has a heart."
-- ABC Tales
"Burnett will no doubt be hoping that loveable psycho Aldo might become the new Begbie, a character burned into the Scottish psyche. With Burnett's hardman character also striking first and asking questions later."
-- Edinburgh Evening News
"This honest, often gritty account of working-class life is full of dark humour and tales of perseverance through hard times. Fans of Irvine Welsh and James Kelman will enjoy this new and exciting young author."
-- Alasdair Peoples, Visit Scotland
"A glimpse into working-class life in Leith in all its shades and kaleidoscopes. This is Burnett's first book and he has talent, a rare voice and way with characters which is compelling and at times spellbinding. One to watch for in future."
-- Gerry Hassan, Author and Commentator
"The comic spirit, infused with a Frankie Boyle-like spiky humour, makes them a hoot to read. They also display the fierce class loyalty that distinguishes James Kelman and this gives them an extra punch."
-- Sean Sheehan, Scottish Left Review
"Sharp, witty and thought provoking with undeniable shadows of Welsh and Kelman - Colin Burnett's debut makes for an incredibly tantalising read."
-- Eilidh Reid, Scots Independent Newspaper
"Finishing A Working Class State of Mind left me looking forward to reading more by Burnett, a strong new voice in Scots and Scottish literature who demands working class voices be heard and read on their own terms. Mair power to his elbow."
-- Erin Farley, Bella Caledonia
"Colin Burnett is an exciting new voice in Scottish fiction - his debut collection of short stories, A Working Class State of Mind, starring Aldo, along with his friends Dougie and Craig, is garnering a lot of attention, and rightly so."
-- Books From Scotland, Part of Our Favourite Things Issue
"Colin Burnett is not only demanding his voice is heard, but that none should be silenced or denied. There is a call for cultural legitimacy which lifts A Working Class State of Mind to another level."
-- Alastair Braidwood, Snack Magazine
"There are obvious influences of Welsh, Kelman and perhaps Warner too in this compelling debut collection, and like these mentors, Burnett brings what feels like lived experience to his writing. His protagonists are full of life in all their frightening brutality, dark humour and ultimate humanity and it is the sheer believability of them and their exploits that places this fresh new voice in Scottish working-class literature at the top of the ever-blossoming tree."
-- Loretta Mulholland, Into The Creative
"Most novels that came out in the era of globalisation made an effort to blur the protagonists' identity to give them a more universal appeal and market feasibility. Burnett is boldly and importantly swimming against this tide and making the identities come out more vividly via the language. That is the counter-hegemonic struggle that directly challenges the dominant discourse and structure, which aims to homogenise socio-cultural uniqueness and variety."
-- Dr Aashish Xaxa, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Doing Sociology
"Burnett's short stories in Scots have found favour with an increasingly curious audience looking to connect with their roots."
-- Paul Kelbie, Discover Scotand
"Colin Burnett is a writer from Edinburgh - and one of the most exciting voices around."
-- Dr Richard Irvine, Anthropologies of Scotland, The University of St Andrews
"The stories about anti hero Aldo goading a junior fitba goalkeeper, and caring for a dug are modern classics of the Scots Gothic genre, where you laugh but feel slightly guilty about laughing because of the subject matter. Scottish literature has always prided itself on its democratic pedigree - giving voice to sections of society which go unrecorded in many other countries. Colin Burnett is a new and bright young star in contemporary Scots letters, and I look forward to more excellent writing from him in the future."
-- Billy Kay, Writer and Broadcaster
'' Thoroughly enjoying this debut collection of short stories by Colin Burnett''
-- Kieran Webster, The View
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